Jonah Kessel '06

Lucia Suarez Sang '10

Tim Arango '96

What did you appreciate most about your SMC experience?

I honestly feel that I found my life's calling in journalism at Saint Michael's. When I arrived I only had vague ideas about what I wanted to do with my life, and I think it was within my first week that I saw a sign seeking reporters for The Defender. So I went, and this was the fall of 1992 and Bill Clinton was running for president, and my first story - I think I am remembering this correctly - was about his plan for a national service organization, which turned in to Americorps. I was pretty much hooked from there, and immediately decided I wanted to be a newspaper reporter.

What are you doing now?

I am a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, dividing my time between Baghdad and Istanbul.

How do you apply what you learned at Saint Michael's to your professional life?

Saint Michaels was where I first learned that I loved reporting, and second, where I learned the basics of how to do it. So all those critical things - accuracy, clean writing, thorough reporting - that are the foundation of what I do today, I learned at Saint Michael's.

Who was your most memorable professor, or what was your favorite class?

Dianne Lynch, hands down. She was the chair of the journalism department at the time, and really supported me, taught me everything and also gave me the confidence to pursue my goal, which was to eventually work for The New York Times.

What advice would you give new Saint Michael's students?

Don't stress about the future, take your time in choosing a major and ski a lot.

"All those critical things - accuracy, clean writing, thorough reporting - that are the foundation of what I do today, I learned at Saint Michael's."